Scheduled Reports

Introduction to Certification (Video Tutorial)
Video tutorial on the WTA Certification program: its standards and methods, the key contributors to quality operation, and the value it provides to teleport operators.

September 2017

Teleport Opportunity Report
The business environment in which teleport operators work is being turned upside by technology and market change. Their established businesses face disruption from new models of connectivity (GEO HTS, MEO and LEO), the rising domination of software over hardware, customer demands for seamless global service, and the opportunity to innovate up the value chain to meet new customer needs – if only they can bring the depth of technology knowledge and high-speed innovation required. Faced with these challenges, how are teleport operators in different market segments adapting? What market opportunities are they targeting and where are they investing their capital? What are their biggest obstacles to growth and the biggest threats to their survival? SSPI will conduct an online and telephone survey of teleport executives at companies of widely varying size in different regions, serving different market segments. From that data, we will publish a portrait in numbers of the future as seen from different corners of the industry.

October 2017

Sizing the Teleport Market
How large is the teleport industry in terms of facilities, companies, revenue, antennas in operation, full-time employment, and spending on satellite capacity, fiber capacity and technology? How much revenue is generated per teleport and per employee on average? Where are the hot spots for teleport operations? WTA will conduct a new market sizing study, updating information last published in 2010, to present a financial and statistical picture of the industry as it exists in 2017.

November 2017

Satellite Operator Benchmarks 2018
Eighth in the series of benchmarks studies of satellite operator commercial and operational performance.

March 2018

Recent Reports

Available free to WTA members, and for purchase by non-members, from the WTA Store.

Reports/Projects

Date

Market Entry: Over-the-Top Video Distribution
One upon a time, satellite was the primary path for all forms of video contribution and distribution. The growth of gigabit fiber capacity and the rise of CDNs and OTT have changed the landscape forever. Content owners are piling into Over the Top distribution even though the revenue and profit opportunities remain slim for now. This creates a large-scale opportunity for teleport operators that are already originating and distributing video channels to expand their services into OTT origination. How significant is the opportunity? What facilities and technology does such an expansion require, and what new expertise do employees need to provided? What are the return-on-investment expectations and are they being realized? Perhaps most important: is there an opportunity for teleport operators to help content owners turn digital pennies into digital dollars through advertising and product-placement insertion and effective management of digital rights.

Certification WebinarPresentation of the key aspects of the WTA Teleport Certification program and interviews with executive of certified teleports and the auditors who validate the quality of their operations.

20 April 2017

Understanding and Improving The ROI of VSAT NetworksVSAT is a fundamental technology for teleport operators serving data and voice customers.Beyond serving as basic hubs for VSAT networks, teleports provide complex managed services on VSAT platforms and integrate them with fiber, wireless and other transmission paths.A teleport may manage dozens or hundreds of individual networks, each comprising anywhere from 20 to 2,000 nodes with its own specific configuration, bandwidth requirements and mission-criticality.Success in this demanding business requires economies of scale: the ability to design, install, operate and maintain networks with the most efficient and cost-effective mix of personnel, equipment and bandwidth.Savings in any of those areas produce a better return on investment for the operator and, if properly implemented, a more efficient and higher quality operation for customers

June 22 2017

Satellite Operator Benchmarks
Seventh in the series of benchmarks studies of satellite operator commercial and operational performance, conducted by FutureSource.

31 March 2017

Teleports in a Fiber, Wireless and HTS World
Teleports are traditionally associated with fixed satellite communications, but they have always been connecting points for different transmission paths. That positions them well for a market in which satellite will increasingly be used only where its economics make the most sense. What does the optimal network look like for different customer applications? How do operations, staffing, processes and capital expenditure change in a fiber, wireless and HTS world? How does the teleport maintain its value proposition in competition with terrestrial carriers and data center operators?

21 February 2017

Reducing the Energy Load
Teleports have become data centers offering the world’s best options for connectivity. That transformation has sharply increased electric power, HVAC and rack space as expense items to be controlled for the sake of the bottom line as well as to meet increasingly strict environmental policies. This report looks at the practical strategies teleport operators are taking to reduce their energy consumption and the technologies having the biggest impact for the money invested.

4 January 2017

The Effective Strategic Partnership for Teleport Operators
In the WTA report, The Teleport of Tomorrow, teleport operators told us that strategic partnerships will become their primary channel to market in a more networked world. Developing effective partnerships, however, is a major challenge. What should teleport operators seek in a strategic partner? What must they bring to the table in their particular market niche? And how does the way a teleport operator does business have to evolve to become truly effective at creating and maintaining partnerships that produce results?

7 December 2016

Measuring Quality in Teleport Operations
In the development of its Teleport Certification program, WTA and its Certification Committee defined in detail the factors that contribute to the quality of a facility and the quality of its operational processes. This report provides an overview of the Certification standards, how they were determined, and checklists for teleport operators to review before applying for Certification.

22 September 2016

Core Capabilities of Digital Inclusion Projects (2016)
National governments and multilateral organizations are funding an increasing number of satellite-based digital inclusion projects. They are expected to grow substantially as HTS spacecraft add substantially to capacity while reducing the cost per bit for transmission. What capabilities do teleport operators need to sell into, service and operate profitably in a market that aims to deliver a social good?

July 2016

Inside The Top Operators (2016)
The annual Top Operator rankings are developed by surveying teleport operators in many nations on their revenues and revenue growth and supplementing the results with financial data from publicly-traded firms. From this information, WTA publishes rankings of the Global Top 20 (companies by revenue including independents and satellite/fiber operators), the Independent Top 20 (companies by revenue excluding satellite and fiber operators), and the Fast 20 (based on year-over-year revenue growth, including independents and satellite/fiber operators)

29 June 2016

The Internet of Things Opportunity for Teleports
The growth forecasts for the Internet of Things are off the charts. The big questions for the teleport and satellite industry is how all these talkative things will be connected, where standard-architecture and HTS satellite will play in that network, and how companies must adapt their facilities, operations and staff to gain a piece of the massive opportunity. The answers are not obvious but innovators around the world are experimenting, developing services and testing opportunities.

17 May 2016

Satellite Operator Benchmarks
Sixth in the series of benchmarks studies of satellite operator commercial and operational performance, conducted by FutureSource.

31 March 2016

The Teleport of Tomorrow
What will the successful teleport operating company of 2020 look like? The speed of technology and market change suggests that it will differ in many ways from what we think of as a teleport today, and that its personnel and business leaders will need different skills to be successful. We ask the thought leaders of the business today where it will be at the start of the next decade. A Strategy report.

12 January 2016

The Evolution of SCPC and TDMA for Data Services
Single-carrier and burst multiplexing solutions for satellite used to be distinct technologies that were matched to differing needs, from high throughput to efficient bandwidth allocation among multiple terminals. Technology advances, however, are creating far more options for network designs, which teleport operators are putting to use to win business and deliver most cost-effective solutions. A 4Nines report.

17 December 2015

Core Capabilities for Serving Transportation Markets
What is required for market entry into maritime and land-based transportation markets? What facilities, technology and operational expertise is needed to offer a competitive level of service, and where are the most attractive geographic and sectoral opportunities?

30 September 2015

Cybersecurity for Teleport and Satellite Operators“What’s your cybersecurity plan?” It is a customer question that some teleport and satellite operators would prefer not to hear, because it opens up issues where they are still playing catch-up with the terrestrial world. In the last decade, teleports have become data centers with connections to the digital skyway as well as information highway. Devices throughout the satellite and terrestrial network have become IP-addressable, at the same time that legacy hardware may still be using antiquated password protocols. Hackers with the skills to break satellite TV and Internet encryption to get free service also open the network to new risks. Satellite is a unique environment and requires knowledge and skills to secure beyond those typically found in terrestrial IT and telecommunications. A 4 Nines Report.